Vidya Lakshmi is the eighth and last of the Ashta Lakshmi in most lists. Vidya means knowledge, learning and skill, and she is the Lakshmi who gives them. It can seem odd that a goddess of fortune should be linked with learning, since learning is usually the gift of Saraswati. The tradition has a gentle answer, which this page sets out together with her image, her worship and the other name that some lists use.
All of it is tradition, set out as tradition.
The name and the other name
In most lists the eighth form is Vidya Lakshmi. In some, it is Aishvarya Lakshmi, from aishvarya, which means lordship, prosperity and the power that goes with it. The two names are not the same in meaning. Where a list has Aishvarya Lakshmi, the form is closer to a Lakshmi of abundance and standing than of learning, and the same list may also have Dhana Lakshmi, so the two overlap. The hub page gives the other places where lists differ.
We use the most common list and call the eighth form Vidya Lakshmi, and we say clearly that it is a choice among lists and not a statement of a single correct one.
Her place in the list
She is eighth in the hymn and in the temples, after Vijaya Lakshmi, so that the eight end with learning. Devotional writers sometimes point out that it makes a fitting end: after grain, wealth, children, courage and victory, the last gift is the one that cannot be taken away.
Form and iconography
Vidya Lakshmi is usually shown with four arms, seated on a lotus. She holds a book and a lotus, and her other two hands make the gestures of fearlessness and of boon-giving. Her sari is commonly white or a pale colour, as with Saraswati, and she wears a crown. In some images the book is a palm-leaf manuscript.
The white sari and the book are the points that bring her close to Saraswati, and some images are hard to tell apart from hers without the second lotus or the crown. The difference that the tradition draws is that Saraswati carries the veena and is the goddess of speech, music and learning for its own sake, and Vidya Lakshmi has no veena and is shown as Lakshmi, a goddess of fortune who gives learning as one of her gifts.
Vidya Lakshmi and Saraswati
The relationship between Lakshmi and Saraswati is a favourite theme in Indian folk sayings. A saying often repeated, in several languages, holds that the two do not stay long in the same house. We mention it because it is well known and not because it is a rule: many scholars and many wealthy families are the proof that the two live together. The idea behind the saying seems to be that people with great learning may neglect money, and people with great wealth may neglect study.
Vidya Lakshmi is the form that answers the saying. She is Lakshmi as the giver of knowledge, and she is a reminder that learning is also a kind of wealth, and that the household which prizes it is rich in a lasting way. In the south, Vijayadashami and Saraswati Puja are the days on which children begin their study, and in many homes Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped together on the same shelf.
The tradition around her
No Purana tells a story under the name Vidya Lakshmi, and we do not invent one. The form draws on older ideas. The Shri Suktam (see the Shri Suktam page) asks that Lakshmi bring fame and a good name, and the older Upanishads treat knowledge as the highest wealth, a view found in the Gita too; the Bhagavad Gita section is the place to begin. The tradition of Vidya Dhana, knowledge as a treasure, is a common theme in Sanskrit proverbs: knowledge does not diminish when shared, and it cannot be taken by thieves or divided among heirs. We give the idea in our own words, since the verse forms vary between collections.
Where she is worshipped
Vidya Lakshmi has a shrine in each Ashtalakshmi temple, including the Ashtalakshmi Kovil at Besant Nagar in Chennai and the temple of that name in Hyderabad. At home, she is the form that students and parents often turn to. We give no visiting hours or rules: check each temple’s own site.
Festivals and customs
The days of learning are her natural days. Vasant Panchami, in the bright half of Magha, is the festival of Saraswati and of learning, and children are often taught their first letters on it; see the Vasant Panchami page. The Saraswati Vandana is on this site. Navratri and Vijayadashami are the autumn days on which books, pens and instruments are worshipped; see the Dussehra page and the Navratri day by day page. At Diwali the Lakshmi puja often includes account books and pens; see the Diwali Lakshmi puja page.
A simple custom is to touch a book or a pen to the forehead before beginning study. It is a habit in many families, and a way of showing respect for what one is about to learn. Study itself remains the work of the student, and the tradition does not suggest that worship replaces it.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Who is Vidya Lakshmi?
Vidya Lakshmi is the form of Lakshmi who stands for knowledge, learning and skill. She is the eighth of the eight forms in most lists.
↳ Is Vidya Lakshmi the same as Aishvarya Lakshmi?
Not exactly. Some lists name the eighth form Aishvarya Lakshmi, the Lakshmi of prosperity and lordship, and others name it Vidya Lakshmi. They are different in meaning, so check which your temple uses.
↳ How is Vidya Lakshmi different from Saraswati?
Saraswati is the goddess of speech, music and learning, shown with a veena. Vidya Lakshmi is a form of Lakshmi who gives knowledge as one of her gifts, and she has no veena.
↳ What does Vidya Lakshmi hold?
She is usually shown with four arms holding a book and a lotus, with hands that give fearlessness and a boon. Her sari is often white or pale.
↳ When is Vidya Lakshmi worshipped?
Vasant Panchami and Vijayadashami are the days of learning, and Diwali and Fridays are the days of Lakshmi. Customs differ, and families follow their own.